In 1979, America celebrated many different forms of entertainment. Among musicians, John Denver enjoyed particular fame, most notably as a solo singer. On TV, The Muppets was enjoying its fifth season on the air. Both forms of entertainment provided charm, quaintness, and smiles, and a collaboration between John Denver and the Muppets seemed inevitable.
Ultimately, the Christmas special they made for ABC, John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, ended up sticking in our collective and nostalgic memories for years to come. Now, more than four decades since that memorable team-up, we’re just as thankful for it as ever.
John Denver and the Muppets created another way to celebrate Christmas
For years since they joined forces, John Denver and the cast of The Muppets became part of Christmas traditions in many households. As the years go on, we see TV stations airing A Charlie Brown Christmas and the like to get us into the spirit. Radios in cars and stores alike serenade us with holiday favorites. John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, struck similar nostalgic gold with their special.
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Part of this is because they hit all the right notes — literally! Elf taught us that the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Denver and his Muppet teammates did so with an excellent tracklist. Dr. Teeth tackled more recent hits like “Little Saint Nick” from The Beach Boys, while Rowlf and Denver provided a slower pace with their duet of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The entire cast got together, fittingly, to round things out with a purely fun version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
This Muppets collaboration holds a special place in our hearts
Numerous special guests appeared on The Muppets TV show, each bringing unique talents and personalities. The Force was strong with Mark Hamill when he appeared as himself and Luke Skywalker in 1980. Even international artists such as ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev interacted well with the main cast, and generated a greater flow of popular guest stars.
But John Denver performing with the Muppets has the benefit of adding to our holiday experience. As more pieces of entertainment are released, we add to our collection traditions, cultivating what is new and respecting what was already there. Sure, there are plenty of common holiday habits that people would rather forget, but a match like this is special reminds us to stop and appreciate what is beautiful around us.
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